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The book contains the winning entry for each category from the 44th Convention in Atlanta, the 45th Convention in Brighton, and the 46th Convention in New Orleans.

This book is as yet unread, but I have previously read a number of the stories, albeit some time ago, when I was generally providing very succinct story summaries. These ‘aide-memoire’ summaries are included below, awaiting a proper read of this volume.

Not yet read, but in the meantime why not visit an interesting website in which you can see all 24 views, the inspiration for the story.

Other Nominees

Green Mars. Kim Stanley Robinson Originally : Asimov’s Sept 1985

My short aide-memoire summary in Dozois #3 : Mountaineering on Mars.

The Only Neat Thing to Do. James Tiptree Jr Originally : F&SF Oct 1985

My short aide-memoire summary in Dozois #3 : Young Croati starts the story as a spoilt brat who uses her parent’s money to give her spaceship a deep space capacity. On her travels she comes across a microscopic alien with which she becomes intimately acquainted, and with whom her very future is predicated.

Sailing to Byzantium. Robert Silverberg Originally : Asimov’s Feb 1985

Best Novelette : Paladin of the Lost Hour. Harlan Ellison.
Originally in : Universe 15

Not yet read.

Other nominees:

Dogfight. Michael Swanwick and William Gibson Originally in : Omni July 1985.

Aide-memoire summary from Dozois #3 : Deke’s a wetware VR game player who takes a local wheelchair-bound World War I biplane scenario champ on. He wins the VR battle, but little else

The Fringe. Orson Scott Card. Originally in : F&SF October 1985.

Dozois #3 aide-memoire : A wheelchair-bound teacher in small farming community puts the finger on bootleggers.

A Gift from the Graylanders. Michael Bishop. Originally in : Asimovs September 1985

Portraits of His Children. George R.R. Martin. Originally in : Asimovs November 1985

Best Short Story : Fermi and Frost. Frederik Pohl. Originally in : Asimov’s Science Fiction, January 1985

Story summarized when read in Dozois 3rd : Nuclear folly finally leaves the world a shattered place, thus solving Fermi’s Paradox. A young boy finds himself in Iceland, sufficiently far away from the fallout to provide a glimmer of hope through the nuclear winter. And perhaps to seeing the bigger future that Fermi pondered.

Other nominees:

Dinner in Audoghast. Bruce Sterling. Originally in : Asimov’s May 1985

Story summarized in Dozois 3rd : Hi-tech espionage and environmental/big business shennanigans..

If you want to see how these winners and nominees sit with other well-regarded stories from 1988, then you can read my reviews of Dozois 3rd and Wollheim 1986, Carr #15, or compare the winners and nominees of the Nebula Awards from that year, as listed on the LocusMag website.